I bundled up this morning and went to Spirit Lake. Although I haven’t been on it for several years, the Tumbled Rocks Trail is another old friend.
The macadam walkway follows the western shoreline of the lake. Large boulders line the path and the steep grade going to the top of the bluff. They are the remnants of the Ice Age when glaciers pushed ahead rocks and anything else in their path.
For most of the walk I was serenaded by the sounds of geese taking off from their resting spot on the lake.
I’ve seen or heard pileated woodpeckers many times along this trail, so before I left home I put out the intention to see one today. They did not disappoint. Less than five minutes into my walk, one startled up from a fallen log and flew directly past me into a nearby tree. Their primal knocking takes me deeper into my being and helps me connect to the heartbeat of Mother Earth. I stopped and admired the beauty and wisdom of this bird.
This place has been considered sacred since the beginning. I sense the original people of this land and am awed to realize they viewed the same scenery that I did this morning. As I look out over the vista that has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years, I feel connected to all that is and my insignificant worries and concerns fall away.
This work is real, and it matters.
November 28, 2021